I know, I know. I must be jinxing the Utah Football team this year since the two times I have posted about the team, they have lost the game.
Vegas was a quick and fun trip, but the game was bad.
Isaak held up pretty well for his first Ute Football game, until the last 10 minutes of the 4th quarter when he decided to go to sleep with his head on my lap, stretched out across the bench.
Too bad the Utes fell asleep 3 quarters earlier than Isaak.
By the way, I remembered why I hate Vegas. I think the best way to sum it all up was when Jim turned to the back seat in the car and asked "ok, who farted?" Nobody would own up to it and then I told Jim that it was just the smell outside from behind Treasure Island. It was just the smell of backed up sewer and smoke.
At least I got a Double-Double, Animal Style from In-N-Out.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
Viva Los Utes
So, I am off tomorrow to join the rest of the Neff boys to celebrate my dad's birthday watching the University of Utah play football against UNLV in Las Vegas.
It will be a quick little trip lasting about 36 hours or so. I am taking Isaak with for his first Utah football game. I hope he lasts the entire game, but luckily he will have his cousins at the game as well so that may keep him entertained.
I am driving down with my brother Jim and his two sons, Parker and Connor. So the three kids will watch movies while I get to listen to Jim's extensive collection of music by the great rock band, RUSH. (Sorry, inside joke for my family)
I hope we have time to stop by In-N-Out for a double double, animal style or two...
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
The Smell of Football in the Air...
I have to give a shout out to the Utes after they beat UCLA 44-6.
Oh, did I mention that they beat the #11 UCLA, the same UCLA team that beat BYU 27-17 the week before? According to the experts (ok, so just some guys at church) BYU deserves a lot of credit for Utah's win since they wore UCLA down the week before.
Alrighty then....
Back to the game this past Saturday.
There is one smell that always reminds me of Football games. Not hot popcorn. Not the smell of hot dogs. Not even the smells of Fall (leaves, crisp air, etc).
It is the smell of a cigar.
Ok, ok. I know. How could I like the smell of a cigar? It isn't that I necessarily like the smell of a cigar, but it is just that the smell of a cigar reminds me of my youth. I probably better clarify that last statement. No, my dad didn't sneak out and smoke a big stogie and the closest thing to smoking a cigar in my immediate family was when Brian would hide behind the bushes in front of our house and make pretend cigars out of dried leaves. You'll have to ask him more about that one some time.
Way back in the seventies and eighties when Utah Football sucked, there were always tickets available and I went as often as I could. Sometimes this meant that I sat in the 2 tickets that my dad had that were on the 30 yrd line instead of with the rest of his tickets. I think it was there where I would smell guys smoking their big Dominican Stogies. I doubt they were Cubans.
Anyway, the smell of a cigar still makes me think of Football, Crisp Autumn days, an Ice-Cold Coca-Cola served in a 20 ounce red and white cup and my childhood. For a couple of minutes when I was walking into Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday, I could smell a cigar being smoked in the distance and it reminded me that there was a football game and it was Autumn.
after post thoughts: Now that I think about it, maybe cigars and Utah Football have more in common then we realize. The words to Utah's Fight Song, "Utah Man" were originally: "...we drink our stein of lager and we smoke our big cigars". It was later changed to the current version "Our coeds are the fairest and each one's a shining star."
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Hi, my name is Todd. I am the Soccer Coach
Both of my kids are playing soccer this year. Tillie is now 7 and is in her 4th season. She has been a good player but last year her experience wasn't the best, so this year, I am coaching her team.
We lost last night, 4-0.
Of the 8 girls on the team, only 3 have played before. All 8 want to play goalie. Only a couple of them should play goalie.
A couple of things that were funny last night (I have to keep laughing or else I would go crazy):
One girl came into the game with a mouth full of Oreo cookies and a bunch of chocolate wiped across her bright yellow jersey.
The same girl asked me how many more games we have left (this was in our second game)
Our goalie (for half of the 3rd quarter) got her pig tails caught in the net and had to be untangled by her mom.
Our 3'6" girl took out an amazon 7 year old that was at least 5 feet tall on an unintentional slide tackle.
"Hey coach, I found a stick on the field" "Great, let's put the stick down and play soccer!"
I heard one of our girls telling a girl on the other team, "let's talk after she kicks this ball." That was right in the middle of the game.
"I lost a tooth" "really? just now during the game" I asked. "no. it was a long time ago in the summer"
I don't even want to start in on the things I saw and heard during 4 year old Isaak's game.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
blatent blog copying ahead...
Burritos and other Mexican favorites
Ok, so I just read my brother Brian's blog where he is talking about Burritos. I started to comment but realized there was just too much to talk about and since I haven't written a new post for a few days, why not blatantly steal his topic. Thank you and sorry Brian. I owe you a Double-Double, animal style when we are in Las Vegas in a couple of weeks...
I am going to do a top 10 of sorts of favorite burritos:
10. Cafe Rio/Costa Vida/Bajio
Some people will put this at the top of the list, but not me. It is good, but nothing to die for. Pork is the only way to go, hot sauce, smothered. Bajio is the best of the three because of the optional grilled onions.
9. Chile Verde burrito from Cafe Pierpont
I don't think they offer this anymore at Cafe Pierpont and I haven't had it in years. A lot of good memories with this one - mostly eating the left overs late at night - but there was that one bad memory where it didn't sit well in my stomach....
8. Lynn Wilson frozen Burritos
Albertson's often sells their brand 3 for $1. These were always in the freezer growing up and made a quick meal. In High School, my friend Danny and I would snarf down a couple of these at lunch - then we realized if you fried them in a pan with a little oil they were even better. A touch of sour cream and salsa and you had a gourmet lunch that only a high school kid would love.
7. Taco Bell. Bean and Cheese burrito.
Forget about all of the newer options, you have to go with the original. They were even better when they were only $.59. For a couple of years they had a Taco Bell inside the U of U student Union and while the burritos were 10 cents more, they were about twice the size. I think I could still eat 14 of these like I did one night in 1989.
6. Home-made burros.
Instead of taco seasoning on the meat, I like to season my own with some chili powder, cumin and cilantro. Add refried beans with black pepper and all the rest of your favorite toppings for a quick and great meal. Leftovers make are perfect for lunch right after church on Sunday.
5. Carne Asada burrito from Alberto's
For a long time, you couldn't get them in a combo with rice and beans - unless of course you asked for it off the menu - speaking Spanish helped in getting them right. Of course the one on 33rd South is now MolcaSalsa but it is still the same. Someone once told me how many fat grams and calories they have, but I chose to delete that from my memory. (As a side note, the Carne Asada tortas are wonderful to try)
4. Del Taco - Macho Combo
I can't believe that I don't remember what it was called before Del Taco... anyone?
Anyway, the only way to go at Del Taco is the Macho Combo. It is like a Burrito Supreme from Taco Bell on Steroids. Add some of the "Del Scorcho" taco sauce. When made right, this burrito dwarfs the big boys at Chipotle.
3. Speaking of Chipotle...
ok, this is a new one for me since it hasn't been in Utah very long. It is the classic San Francisco style burrito. Wrapped in foil this burrito has gone far and wide thanks to the marketing by the parent company, McDonald's.
2. Carne Asada burrito from Francos
Where is this place, you ask? Here is the story. When I came home from my mission in Spain (and no, they don't eat burritos and tacos there) I was excited to go to the famous Munson's Burger den for the best shakes in Utah. I was 3-4 weeks too late as they had closed down, not for lack of business, but to move to Delta. So the place sat empty on 20th East and 33rd south for a few months before it was re-opened by a Mexican family by the name of Franco. They started out with burgers and such but later offered their home-made chili verde served in a Styrofoam bowl with tortillas. This was quite good. I asked them one day about other Mexican food and soon they had Carne Asada burritos. For a couple of years it was wonderful. Now the place is a coffee lounge.
1. It is a tie - Burrito Baby and Barbacoa
Brian's description of Burrito Baby didn't explain that David Escobedo moved his shop to 300 South and 200 East in SLC in the early 90's and stuck around for a few years (1998 or so?) I used to go in there every couple of weeks or so. For me, this was the original foil-wrapped burrito. All burritos included rice and beans inside the burrito. I miss this place.
Barbacoa comes close to replicating Burrito Baby for me. Yes, it is newer and has the popular line where you tell them what to put on your burrito (see #10) but the food is good. No, great. I find myself going the simple route and order Carnitas pork in the burrito. My nephew Spencer taught me the real key to eating these: order all three salsas on the burrito instead of just one and squeeze lots of fresh lime on them.
mmm... just about lunch time. Too bad I have too much to do or else I would drive up the street to get a Carne Asada burrito at Alberto's since it is so close to my office.
Honorable Mention: El Chamion burrito from the now defunct La Salsa. Hard to argue with a burrito that was so fresh and big. I met my wife while eating one of these too.
Ok, so I just read my brother Brian's blog where he is talking about Burritos. I started to comment but realized there was just too much to talk about and since I haven't written a new post for a few days, why not blatantly steal his topic. Thank you and sorry Brian. I owe you a Double-Double, animal style when we are in Las Vegas in a couple of weeks...
I am going to do a top 10 of sorts of favorite burritos:
10. Cafe Rio/Costa Vida/Bajio
Some people will put this at the top of the list, but not me. It is good, but nothing to die for. Pork is the only way to go, hot sauce, smothered. Bajio is the best of the three because of the optional grilled onions.
9. Chile Verde burrito from Cafe Pierpont
I don't think they offer this anymore at Cafe Pierpont and I haven't had it in years. A lot of good memories with this one - mostly eating the left overs late at night - but there was that one bad memory where it didn't sit well in my stomach....
8. Lynn Wilson frozen Burritos
Albertson's often sells their brand 3 for $1. These were always in the freezer growing up and made a quick meal. In High School, my friend Danny and I would snarf down a couple of these at lunch - then we realized if you fried them in a pan with a little oil they were even better. A touch of sour cream and salsa and you had a gourmet lunch that only a high school kid would love.
7. Taco Bell. Bean and Cheese burrito.
Forget about all of the newer options, you have to go with the original. They were even better when they were only $.59. For a couple of years they had a Taco Bell inside the U of U student Union and while the burritos were 10 cents more, they were about twice the size. I think I could still eat 14 of these like I did one night in 1989.
6. Home-made burros.
Instead of taco seasoning on the meat, I like to season my own with some chili powder, cumin and cilantro. Add refried beans with black pepper and all the rest of your favorite toppings for a quick and great meal. Leftovers make are perfect for lunch right after church on Sunday.
5. Carne Asada burrito from Alberto's
For a long time, you couldn't get them in a combo with rice and beans - unless of course you asked for it off the menu - speaking Spanish helped in getting them right. Of course the one on 33rd South is now MolcaSalsa but it is still the same. Someone once told me how many fat grams and calories they have, but I chose to delete that from my memory. (As a side note, the Carne Asada tortas are wonderful to try)
4. Del Taco - Macho Combo
I can't believe that I don't remember what it was called before Del Taco... anyone?
Anyway, the only way to go at Del Taco is the Macho Combo. It is like a Burrito Supreme from Taco Bell on Steroids. Add some of the "Del Scorcho" taco sauce. When made right, this burrito dwarfs the big boys at Chipotle.
3. Speaking of Chipotle...
ok, this is a new one for me since it hasn't been in Utah very long. It is the classic San Francisco style burrito. Wrapped in foil this burrito has gone far and wide thanks to the marketing by the parent company, McDonald's.
2. Carne Asada burrito from Francos
Where is this place, you ask? Here is the story. When I came home from my mission in Spain (and no, they don't eat burritos and tacos there) I was excited to go to the famous Munson's Burger den for the best shakes in Utah. I was 3-4 weeks too late as they had closed down, not for lack of business, but to move to Delta. So the place sat empty on 20th East and 33rd south for a few months before it was re-opened by a Mexican family by the name of Franco. They started out with burgers and such but later offered their home-made chili verde served in a Styrofoam bowl with tortillas. This was quite good. I asked them one day about other Mexican food and soon they had Carne Asada burritos. For a couple of years it was wonderful. Now the place is a coffee lounge.
1. It is a tie - Burrito Baby and Barbacoa
Brian's description of Burrito Baby didn't explain that David Escobedo moved his shop to 300 South and 200 East in SLC in the early 90's and stuck around for a few years (1998 or so?) I used to go in there every couple of weeks or so. For me, this was the original foil-wrapped burrito. All burritos included rice and beans inside the burrito. I miss this place.
Barbacoa comes close to replicating Burrito Baby for me. Yes, it is newer and has the popular line where you tell them what to put on your burrito (see #10) but the food is good. No, great. I find myself going the simple route and order Carnitas pork in the burrito. My nephew Spencer taught me the real key to eating these: order all three salsas on the burrito instead of just one and squeeze lots of fresh lime on them.
mmm... just about lunch time. Too bad I have too much to do or else I would drive up the street to get a Carne Asada burrito at Alberto's since it is so close to my office.
Honorable Mention: El Chamion burrito from the now defunct La Salsa. Hard to argue with a burrito that was so fresh and big. I met my wife while eating one of these too.
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